


Fight On

by Nightwinging_it



Category: Midnighter (Comics), Midnighter and Apollo (Comics)
Genre: DC universe - Freeform, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Whumptober 2019, midpollo - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2019-11-01
Packaged: 2021-01-16 05:49:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21266084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nightwinging_it/pseuds/Nightwinging_it
Summary: After a battle leaves Midnighter dangerously wounded and unable to heal, Apollo wonders if this will finally be the fight he doesn't win.(For Whumptober #31: Embrace)





	Fight On

His ears were ringing.

He tried to reach up, to touch his throbbing skull, but he couldn’t feel his arms. His vision was horribly blurred, but he could make out a puddle of red. His blood? Someone else’s?

What the hell had happened?

His hand appeared in his blurred vision, so at least it was still moving. His uniform was torn, and it looked like his arm was badly burned. Okay, so probably a relief he couldn’t feel the pain of that.

He tried desperately to remember what had happened, but all he could focus on was the ringing in his ears. He tried to move his other arm, but it wouldn’t respond.

Where was he?

The ground rapidly came into view, and then his vision was consumed with it. His head was back on the ground.

_Move. C’mon, move, dammit._

But his body ignored his thoughts. He gave up and closed his eyes, trying to get any response from his body. With his healing abilities, he should be able to at least move a little within a few minutes.

He heard a muffled noise, but couldn’t recall how to open his eyes. He was so tired. He just wanted all the noises in the world to stop so he could sleep, just for a little.

His body finally felt something- a sharp jolt.

He tried to get away from whatever had hurt him, but his body still wouldn’t cooperate. That muffled noise was louder now, closer.

“Midnighter!”

The word pierced through the ringing in his ears. Yes, Midnighter. That was him. That was his name.

“Midnighter!”

That sharp jolt again. He opened his mouth to respond, but he couldn’t quite recall how to form words.

“Open your eyes, M. Open your damn eyes.”

He couldn’t. He didn’t want to. He was so tired.

“Come on, M.”

The voice was becoming a little clearer, and it was familiar. He tried to move his head towards it. There was something so familiar about it.

“Midnighter? Can you hear me?”

Yes, yes he could hear the voice. Something came into his vision, and he realized he’d opened his eyes a little. He saw a blur of white leaning over him.

The white shifted and became an out-of-focus face. They reached out, placed a hand on his cheek.

“Good, good,” they encouraged. “You’re going to be fine. I need to move you. You’re not healing, but we can’t wait here.”

The person gathered Midnighter into their arms. Midnighter let his head fall against their shoulder.

The red was spreading on the white of the person’s clothing. He was still bleeding. Wasn’t he supposed to heal?

It didn’t matter. He closed his eyes again.

“Midnighter! Don’t you do this to me, M. Open your eyes. Come on, please, open your eyes.”

The voice was urgent. Why? He’d only closed his eyes for a moment.

When he tried to open them, though, the white of the other person was gone. He was lying in a bed now, in a room he didn’t recognize. He closed his eyes again.

“No, come on,” the person said, and now he felt their hand on his shoulder. “Please, M, keep them open. You’re not dying. You don’t do that.”

“Shit, Apollo, his vitals are crashing,” another voice said.

Apollo.

“Why isn’t he healing?” Apollo said in frustration.

“There’s something in his system,” the other voice said. “We’re working on it. Just keep talking to him. Get him to stay awake if you can.”

Apollo.

It was Apollo.

Midnighter tested his hand and found his body still unresponsive. His fingers twitched, but he couldn’t feel anything.

But Apollo noticed. Apollo took his hand, held it securely.

“I’m here,” he said. “M, it’s going to be okay. Just stay awake.”

He was so damn tired.

He wanted to make a joke. Say this date wasn’t going well. Say anything that would wipe the concern from Apollo’s face. But all that came out was a choked noise, and then he coughed and blood sprayed against the bed.

“Don’t try to talk,” Apollo said, putting his free hand on Midnighter’s shoulder. “I know that’s a tough order for you, but please, just shut up for once.”

He tried to move closer to Apollo. He tried to remember what had happened to put that expression on Apollo’s face.

Apollo squeezed his hand. “Stop being stubborn. Stay still. We’re working on it. We’ll fix you, and then you’ll be right back to being an asshole and an ass kicker, okay? I promise. I promise, Midnighter. You’re going to be fine.”

He stared at Apollo’s face, trying to fight his exhaustion. Apollo forced a smile, squeezing his hand again.

“Remember, back when we were in Stormwatch? I thought you were dead, and then you got right back up and into the fight when the others showed up. You just like to make me worry. You always have to be a pain in the ass,” Apollo said.

“Apollo,” a new voice said. “We think we can get that substance out of his system but it could be…risky.”

“Risky?” Apollo said sharply. “How?”

“If we don’t get it all and his system doesn’t start healing right away, the procedure to get it out could kill him,” the new voice said.

Apollo closed his eyes for a moment. Midnight wanted to mock him and tell him to keep his eyes open, but that exhaustion was clawing at him. His eyelids drooped and he fought to stay awake.

Apollo opened his eyes and looked at Midnighter. His expression was tight but determined.

“Do it,” he said. “At this rate, he’ll die from his injuries and the blood loss.”

Apollo leaned forward, pressing his forehead against Mdinighter’s. He held his hand tightly. Midnighter twitched his fingers, trying to close them over Apollo’s.

“Alright,” Apollo whispered. “You better do what you do best and fight on, Midnighter. Just…Just fight, okay?”

Midnighter opened his mouth, felt a cough scratching at his throat. “F…igh…t,” he managed, before coughing up more blood. He managed to close his fingers around Apollo’s hand.

Apollo nodded. “Fight. You’re going to pull through. You’re too stubborn to die.”

The exhaustion was too much. He closed his eyes, and this time, Apollo didn’t tell him to open them again.

He felt that comforting squeeze on his hand, and then he felt nothing at all.

***

Midnighter slowly opened his eyes. The light in the room was dim, and a blanket was pulled up to his neck. His body was sore, but when he tested his limbs, they all responded. Nothing was broken, though a few wounds seemed to be in their final stages of healing.

He pulled the blanket down and looked at all the bandages wrapped around him. He pried the one on his arm off, looking at the nearly healed burns there.

He looked over and saw Apollo, fast asleep in a chair next to his bed. There were dark bags under his eyes, even as he slept.

“Apollo?” he said, his voice hoarse. He reached out and shook Apollo’s shoulder.

Apollo jerked awake. He realized Midnighter was awake, and relief swept over his face.

“Midnighter,” he said. “You’re…How do you feel?”

“Like my bones were torn out a second time,” Midnighter said, stretching. “What the hell happened?”

“Do you remember Spyral dispatching you to that attack in the city?” Apollo asked.

Midnighter pressed a hand to his head as it slowly came back to him. “Oh…yea. Yea, some asshole wreaking havoc.” He furrowed his brow as he tried to recall the details. “He stabbed me?”

“He injected you,” Apollo corrected. “He’d been anticipating us arriving. He injected your system with a substance that shut down your abilities. The fight computer, the healing, all of it. Then he blew up a building, so I’d be distracted saving civilians while he beat the hell out of you. Whatever he put in your system slowed you down and gave him an advantage. But when I came back faster than he expected, he tried to blow both of us up.”

“What a sore loser,” Midnighter said.

“M, you almost died,” Apollo said, his voice harsh. “I thought you were dead at first. You weren’t moving, you were barely breathing. Whatever was in your system numbed your body and slowed your heartrate so much I thought you didn’t have a pulse when I found you.”

“Well, I did, and it’s still ticking away in there,” Midnighter said, patting his chest. “So what happened to the guy?”

“I caught him and knocked him out. Spyral picked him up and are questioning him now. I got you back to their headquarters for medical attention. They’re running tests on the substance that he injected you with now to find out what it was and how it works. But it’s all out of your system now.”

Still, Apollo looked him over carefully. He reached out and lightly touched Midnighter’s shoulder, as if afraid of hurting him.

“God, M. I really thought…” He laughed weakly, looked away. “There was a moment where I really thought this was the one you wouldn’t find a way out of.”

Midnighter put his hand over Apollo’s. “Andrew, I always find a way out. Even without the fight computer. And besides, when I’m royally screwed, I know you’ll save my ass. It’s a cute ass, after all.”

Apollo turned back to look at him. “I’m glad you’re okay. I’m glad your cute ass is still alive.”

Midnighter drew him closer with a hand on the back of his neck, and kissed him. It was light, a reassurance and a promise of more later. Apollo pressed his fingers to Midnighter’s throat, feeling the pulse beat along steadily beneath his touch.

“Don’t you ever die on me,” he said softly.

“Like you’d let me,” Midnighter said, grinning a little.

He sat up and Apollo moved closer, pulling Midnighter into his arms, holding him tightly. Midnighter put his arms around Apollo, feeling his comforting warmth, the familiar feel of him. Midnighter let his head fall on Apollo’s shoulder.

He’d gotten away yet again, avoiding death thanks to Apollo. It was why they made such a good team. When one fell, the other raised him back up. Even now, Midnighter’s wounds were healing as Apollo held him close.

They’d made it yet again, together.

So they sat, and they embraced.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, thanks for reading! This is my first ever attempt at writing Midnighter and Apollo (or any comic book character for that matter), so any feedback would be greatly appreciated!


End file.
